


Paper Moon

by Ryo (Hiari)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Huddling For Warmth, Lotura Secret Santa, Secret Relationship, enemies to lovers kind of if you squint really really really really hard, kind of slow burn, self-induldgent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 11:58:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17141333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiari/pseuds/Ryo
Summary: A Coffee Shop AU mixed with a University AU - it's the middle of winter and Lotor has it bad for Allura.





	Paper Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tybalt_tisk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tybalt_tisk/gifts).



"I hereby declare this situation to be an official disaster. We have to commence Operation: Get Lotor A Girlfriend, immediately. OGLAF for short." Ezor announced to the little group of friends gathered around the table, hands firmly placed on her hips. 

"How about a book of pick-up lines?" Zethrid suggested with a shrug of her broad shoulders. 

"Excellent idea, Zeth! Now, we just have to examine Allura's schedule and plant Lotor in a place where their paths are bound to cross! This plan is perfect." 

"I don't need a girlfriend, and...Allura is- I think she already has a boyfriend," Lotor told his nosy companions. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. 

"Well...steal her away then!" Not to be deterred, Ezor tapped on the planning whiteboard. "Acxa, go get us a book of pick-up lines."

Acxa nodded, and briskly left the room, only to return a few minutes later with a rather old-looking tome.

Ezor opened the book with glee and then squinted. 

_"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!_  
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night  
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear—  
Beauty too rich for use-" 

Lotor stared at his friends, dumbfounded. "I'm supposed to woo Allura with that? I don’t even know what those words mean.” 

"Acxa, I said a book of pick-up lines, not cheesy, poetic Shakespearean _shit_ ," Ezor laughed, shutting the book. 

The other woman nodded, "Sorry." 

\------------

In the end, they had simply googled "good pick up lines" and jotted them down on an old notepad. Lotor wanted the ground to swallow him whole right then and there. He did have a crush on Allura, but was hitting on her really the right way to go? He didn’t want to come across too strongly, but his friends had put in so much effort for him. If he got cold feet at the last second, he would disappoint everyone. Nervously pushing up his glasses, Lotor tried to posture as suave as possible while sauntering towards the girl of his dreams. The winter chill did little to cool his heated face. Stopping directly in front of her, he took a deep breath. 

"H-Hey, did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Because you... look like an angel."

Finishing his line rather lamely, he shaped his fingers into the dumb little "finger guns" Ezor had insisted accompany the sentence, Lotor forced one of his eyes closed into a wink. He felt absolutely _ridiculous_ , praying that he didn’t look it. He also quietly hoped a bolt of lightning would suddenly strike him dead right then and there. 

"O-Oh, thank you?" Allura looked confused, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink color. Curious baby blue eyes met his own, and he could feel his face coloring as well. She was so beautiful and too good for a lame nerd like him. The brown-haired man beside her seemed absolutely livid.

“Just F.Y.I., those are _MY_ pick up lines,” the stranger complained, pouting very childishly. 

Allura rolled her eyes, poking the man sharply in the ribs, making him wince in spite of his thick winter jacket. “You do not own every cheesy pickup line, Lance.” Turning her attention back to Lotor, she smiled warmly. “By the way… have we met before? I’m Allura Altea.” 

“I know,” Lotor answered automatically, before covering his mouth. Allura’s pleasant smile began slipping into a confused one. “We’re in the same microeconomics class,” he added quickly, in an attempt to salvage the situation. _Stupid_ , he berated himself. They’d had several conversations before, although apparently, he had never told her his name. 

“Is that so? Well, I _do_ feel as if I’ve seen you before...” Tapping a gloved finger on her chin, she mused thoughtfully. 

Lotor gulped. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He was really not sure, and certainly hoped he hadn’t made a terrible first impression.

Their conversation was interrupted by Lance waving his mittened hand back and forth in front of Allura’s face, frowning at her. “Sorry to cut the conversation short, but we have to go. We’re going to be late for work.” 

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I completely forgot I have a shift soon. I’ll see you in class tomorrow- er, what was your name again?” She laughed sheepishly, her breath coming out as a small puff of cloud visible in the chilly air. 

“Lotor Sincline,” he told her, schooling his features into a smile as well. The least he could do was try not to be any weirder than he had already been. _Stars_ , he was a fool for thinking he had any semblance of a chance with her. That Lance guy was probably her boyfriend, hence why he had been so defensive earlier. 

“Well then, I will see you tomorrow, Lotor. Have a good day!” Wiggling her fingers in a little wave, she and Lance resumed walking towards the downtown area of their college town. 

With a glance at his own watch, Lotor muttered a curse under his breath. He had to get going to work as well, or his father would never let him hear the end of it. Breaking into a brisk jog, he rushed towards the coffee shop that he worked at part-time: Paper Moon. 

After hastily clocking in and tying the classic purple apron around his body, he began brewing himself a strong cup of espresso. He had quite a long shift, which he was _not_ looking forward to. There also happened to be a microeconomics assignment due tomorrow, and he desperately hoped the shop would be not busy in the slightest. He’d only barely started the assignment and had planned to work on it more during his shift. Unfortunately, the deity that had been listening to his pleas took great delight in Lotor’s suffering, as there were even more customers than usual. Stifling a long sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and began whipping up orders left and right as fast as he possibly could. The last thing he needed was his father scolding him and reminding him, again, of what a massive disappointment he was to the family. 

A familiar voice jarred him from his musings. “Hey, I’ll have a salted caramel frappuccino with extra whipped cream and a-” 

Lotor plastered his best ‘customer service’ smile on his face before realizing who the owner of the voice was. Lance looked equally surprised, jaw dropping mid-order. 

“You’re that Lotor guy!” he pointed an almost accusing finger at Lotor’s chest. 

“Ah- er, yes. I am.” Rubbing his temples, Lotor tried to be as civil as possible. After all, Lance was a customer, just like anyone else. “Salted caramel frappuccino with extra whipped cream. Anything else?” 

“I can’t believe you’re the enemy! An employee of Paper Moon!” Lance jabbed his finger forward, completely ignoring Lotor’s words. “Just wait until I tell Allura about this!” 

“...Enemy?” I don’t understand, what are you talking abou-” He froze. _Oh._ Allura and Lance must be employees of the rival coffee shop just across the street - Sunset Delight. His father _had_ mentioned the “enemy” gaining a lot of recent attention. Swallowing hard, Lotor began to make the requested frappuccino, as Lance had not said anything about canceling his order. 

“Oh, yeah, uh. That’ll be all for my order,” Lance added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He fished around in his pocket for a beaten leather wallet and pulled out several crumpled dollar bills and coins, smoothing them out on the countertop. 

Placing a straw into the finished drink, Lotor pushed it towards Lance and took the money, placing it into the cash drawer after verifying the correct amount. “Thank you for stopping by Paper Moon, we hope to see you again.” His voice sounded robotic to even his own ears. 

“Thanks,” the other man replied, grabbing the cup and rushing out the door. Lotor wondered why anyone would order an ice cold frappuccino in the dead of winter, but he supposed it was really none of his business. He hoped Allura wouldn’t hold his employment against him. That would make getting into her good graces extremely difficult. Pushing the swirling, fearful thoughts aside, he pasted another smile on his face and assisted the rest of the customers waiting in line. 

By the time the end of his shift rolled around, he was exhausted. It seemed just about everybody in Olkari City wanted coffee that day, and sadly, that meant there was little to no time to finish his economics assignment during the shift. He’d just have to do it at the library. Pulling off the blasted purple apron and hanging it in his battered locker, Lotor zipped up his puffy winter parka and trudged out into the snowy outdoors.

The library was only two blocks away from Paper Moon, and Lotor thanked his lucky stars. Unfortunately, it was also _packed_. Scanning the room, his eyes fell on the one open seat at a table shared by a stunning woman wearing a fuzzy pink sweater - Allura. Lotor felt his face heat up, but there were no other open seats that he could find. Gathering his courage, he paused and wondered if she was saving the seat for Lance. That could explain how it had managed to remain empty. Forcing himself to take another step forward, he managed to choke out his question. “Is this seat taken?” 

Allura glanced up from her notebook- _goodness, she had the most gorgeous blue eyes he’d ever seen_ \- and a wide smile broke out over her face. “The seat is yours if you want, Lotor. I know how hard it can be to find seats in the library.” 

His heart hammered in his chest like a hummingbird in a cage. _Stars_ , she was so perfect, how did someone like her even exist? “Thank you,” he answered with a smile of his own. He hoped she couldn’t hear just how fast his heart was pounding. Shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the back of the wooden chair he was sitting in, Lotor reached into his backpack and pulled out his ancient laptop. He’d been asking his father for a new one since high school but to no avail. 

“By any chance...are you working on that economics assignment?” Allura spoke, looking up at him hopefully. 

“Yes, but-” 

“Wonderful! So am I. Let’s work on it together.” 

Lotor’s cheeks burned. She wanted to work on a project with him! Opening the Google Document he had started earlier, he paused. “I have a document I started already. Er, may I have your email address?” 

“Of course! It’s princessallura@gmail.com!” She gave him another stunning smile as he shared the document with her. Tapping her manicured nails on the library’s wooden table, she hummed thoughtfully as she scanned through the contents of the file. “Wow, this looks quite good so far.” 

He desperately fought back another blush and watched her portrait in the right corner light up as Allura began adding to the document, tapping away rapidly at her laptop. Nodding at her addition, Lotor input his own notes to the project, carefully gauging her reaction as he did so. He hoped that nothing he had typed was incorrect, and tried to suppress the growing nervousness. 

“I believe if we implement this into the assignment, we will hit all of the points listed on the rubric,” Allura remarked, jotting down something on the margins of their document. 

He quickly looked over what she had suggested and nodded. “Good idea.” 

Time flew by as they worked on the assignment together, occasionally taking short rests to relax their tired brains. As the hours passed, Lotor began to learn more about Allura. He discovered that she had four pet mice named Platt, Chuchule, Chulatt, and Plachu. She told him that she enjoyed stargazing and learning about the constellations as a hobby, but was majoring in biochemistry. 

In turn, he explained that he was double majoring in astrophysics and mechanical engineering. He also loved stargazing. Her eyes widened when he admitted that he wanted to be an astronaut. “I just want to see what’s out there,” Lotor said shyly, nervously running a hand through his shiny hair. His father heavily disapproved of his goals and was pressuring him to take over the family business, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. That being said, his father was forcing him to take almost all the business classes anyway, which was how he had ended up in the same microeconomics class as Allura. 

“And I have a pet cat named Kova,” he finished as he resumed work on their project once more. 

“Oh that’s wonderful! The Sunset Delight- my place of work- is a cat cafe! We serve delicious coffee, but I have a feeling most of our customers come for the cats,” Allura laughed softly, typing on the document as well. 

His heart clenched, recalling what Lance had said to him earlier. Could he tell her himself? What if she hated him? Surely Allura wouldn’t be so unreasonable as to suddenly change her opinion on him just because he worked at the rival coffee shop...right? “That sounds wonderful. Erm, say…what do you think of Paper Moon? They’re a coffee shop too, right?” 

Her smile immediately faded, and lovely blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Well, I have not been in there myself, or met any employees, but the owner of that place is horrible. I heard a rumor that his son went to our university, but I don’t think I’ve met him. Zarkon Galra tried every trick in the book to close down the Sunset Delight, and my father only barely managed to keep it open.” Allura’s voice was hard with resentment, and Lotor clenched his fists behind the screen of his laptop. There was no way he could admit he was not only an employee at the Paper Moon but also Zarkon’s son, right? 

“Ah, I see...I-” he opened his mouth but Allura closed her laptop and beamed at him. “All done! I’ve submitted it for both of us, I hope you don’t mind.” 

Lotor’s words died in his throat. “Thank you,” he managed pitifully. Guilt enveloped him; he knew Zarkon had brutal business practices but had never been told his father had gone so far as to actually try to shut down the Sunset Delight. What if she never wanted to speak to him again? 

“-next Thursday,” her words snapped him out of his worries. 

“Pardon?” he pushed his glasses up his face, hoping he had not been too obvious in not paying attention. 

“I said there’s a meteor shower next Thursday. Would you like to come with me?” Allura gazed at him expectantly, and Lotor thought she looked like a goddess, the library’s dim light casting an ethereal glow onto her smooth dark brown skin. Her crystal blue eyes, framed by long lashes, sparkled like jewels as she waited for his response. 

His heart clenched. Here she was, inviting him to hang out with her. It would be so disingenuous to keep the truth now. Bracing himself, he took a deep breath. “I work at Paper Moon! A-and Zarkon... is my father,” he blurted out, squeezing his eyes shut before he had to witness any sort of horror cross Allura’s lovely face. 

A soft giggle prompted him to open his eyes again, and he stared at her incredulously. Allura leaned her chin on her hands and smiled gently. “I am surprised you work at Paper Moon, but..from our conversations today, I know you are not a bad person. You may be related to Zarkon, but you are _not_ your father. But, we should probably keep our friendship a secret.” 

Relief flooded his chest and spread out to the rest of his body. She didn’t hate him! He could practically jump for joy if it wasn’t wildly appropriate at 3 a.m. in the university library. He understood why she wanted to keep it a secret though; Zarkon would be none too pleased to hear his son was becoming fast friends with his rival’s daughter. “Thank you, Allura. And to answer your invitation...I would love to go with you to the meteor shower,” he replied, cheeks flushing. 

“Then it’s a date!” Placing her laptop into her light pink backpack, she beamed at him. His face must be on fire by now, Lotor mused. There was no way she meant it like _that_ , but a small part of his heart still sang out in happiness. 

“Y-yes,” he heard himself saying as he moved to pack up his belongings as well. “It’s very late, so I’ll walk you home.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. But thank you. I’d love to talk to you more.” Allura adjusted the fluffy pink earmuffs nestled atop her head as Lotor tried to force down his elation, barely managing to choke out a proper response. 

“I-Is that so?” 

They made the five-minute trek together in peaceful conversation. Allura explained that her father, Alfor, had always dreamed of opening his own coffee shop, and when he had finally managed to achieve that goal, Zarkon had immediately attempted to shut it down. Zarkon and Alfor had been old college roommates and former best friends. Something in their friendship had soured, and the two had gone separate ways, it seemed. Now they wanted nothing to do with one another and probably tried to have their children feel the same. Lotor agreed that it probably was for the best to keep their friendship a secret.

All too soon, they reached Allura’s dormitory. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” she grinned, before sliding her key card into the reader and disappearing from his sight with a final wave. Lotor’s heart swelled with joy. Maybe he _did_ have a chance with her after all? She hadn’t mentioned anything about Lance the entire evening, or about having a boyfriend. Surely if she had one, she would have invited him instead? A faint glimmer of hope blossomed in his core. 

The rest of the week flew by rather uneventfully as Lotor spent most of it in a daze, thinking about his “date” with Allura next Thursday. His friends teased him relentlessly, but even they couldn’t force him to become annoyed. Unfortunately, his daydreamy state meant the fateful day came far too soon, and he hardly felt prepared at all. Stars, what would he wear to a date with Allura? That was a question he would need to ask his friends. Upon his frantic pleading in the group chat, Acxa had come through and suggested his sensible dark wash jeans and a dark blue argyle sweater. 

He had just brushed his hair when his phone beeped and Allura’s name popped up on the screen along with the message _“Let’s meet at Olkari Park at 7:00.”_

Covering his mouth to hide a smile, Lotor texted back, _“Alright.”_

At precisely 6:55, he found himself gazing up at the massive Christmas tree in the center of Olkari Park, waiting for Allura. While he knew he was early, it was better than the alternative of being late - there was no way he would let Allura wait for him in the cold. Despite his heavy parka, the winter’s bite still managed to sting his skin and he shivered. 

“Lotor!” Allura rushed towards him, bundled up with a woolly scarf and her fuzzy pink earmuffs. They matched the shade of her winter coat and his heart clenched at just how cute she was. She seemed to be carrying a picnic basket of sorts and he felt foolish for not bringing anything. 

“It’s cold, so I brought blankets,” she explained upon noticing his curious glance. His face lit on fire when she wrapped the thick blankets around both of them. She was so incredibly close, he could smell the soft scent of peach petals. Lotor tried to remain as gentlemanly as possible, but Allura had snuggled up against him. He was fairly certain his heart had stopped beating by now. 

“Sorry for the closeness, but we have to stay together to keep warm.” Her own cheeks were rather flushed as she smiled up at him. 

“I understand,” he managed, looking up at the sky in hopes she couldn’t see just how hard he was blushing. 

Allura went silent as the meteor shower began, the beautiful streaks of white light racing through the dark night sky. Lotor had never seen anything like it before. While he had watched his fair share of meteor showers, there was something about this particular one that stood out to him. Perhaps it was Allura’s slender body pressed against his, her head leaning on his chest and fluffy hair tickling his chin. Or the fact that this was the first time he had ever watched one with someone else, especially someone he had a crush on. Either way, this was a moment Lotor would engrave into his memory forever. 

“Wow…” she gasped, her soft blue eyes shining as she watched the stars. 

“It’s beautiful,” Lotor agreed. _Just like you._

They began secretly dating a few weeks after the meteor shower. Lotor had walked Allura back to her dormitory again and felt some sort of newfound energy between them. He couldn’t quite place a finger on it, but hoped she felt the same way. The two of them started to hang out regularly, albeit discreetly; Allura even stopped by Paper Moon a few times to order a cup of coffee as she waited for his shift to end but always somehow managed to be in the bathroom every time Zarkon appeared. He returned the favor by visiting Sunset Delight occasionally and petting the cats there while she served customers but made himself scarce whenever Alfor entered the shop. 

Lotor felt bad that Allura was keeping him a secret from her father, but she explained that it would be better this way. While she understood that he was different from Zarkon, she believed Alfor might feel differently. Lotor decided he couldn’t really complain when he had no desire to tell Zarkon about her either. Not because he was ashamed, but he knew Zarkon would try and end their relationship. 

As the months passed and their meetings outside of class became more frequent, he thanked his lucky stars that neither of them lived with their fathers. It made walking Allura home every time so much easier. One night after a date at a rather fancy restaurant, she paused on her dormitory’s doorstep, twirling around to face him. 

“Thank you for the lovely dinner,” she spoke, gazing up at him with a soft smile on her face. 

“Thank you for accepting my invitation,” he replied with a shy grin. “Good night, Allura-” he was about to turn and leave, but a hand on his arm made him pause. Turning back around, he tilted his head in confusion as Allura stood on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“I-!” Lotor’s mouth opened before shutting again, his face probably turning three shades darker. 

“Good night, Lotor.” Allura giggled, waving as she entered the dormitory. 

He stood there in shocked silence for a few moments, before carefully touching the cheek that she’d kissed. Unable to stop himself, he broke out into a wide smile. She really _did_ like him back after all.

**Author's Note:**

> And finally, it's complete! My Secret Santa gift for @tybalt-tisk on Tumblr!  
> The Fairy Jeithmothers recommended a 1k fic but this one ended up being accidentally about 4k... :"D oops.  
> I poured my heart and soul into it so I hope my Lotura family loves this as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> I got the idea of the shop being called "Paper Moon" because it's my favorite Soul Eater song.  
> anyway fuck you s8  
> Please leave comments and/or kudos, they make my day!   
> Happy Holidays, y'all. :) You can follow me on @QueenNejire on Twitter.


End file.
